Can Democrats Actually Win in Texas? | The David Frum Show

From The Atlantic.

On this week’s episode of “The David Frum Show,” The Atlantic’s David Frum opens with his thoughts on Kristi Noem’s removal as head of the Department of Homeland Security. David warns that the chaos at the department, combined with President Trump’s demand that the SAVE Act be passed before he will sign any budget for DHS, could endanger Americans as the U.S. wages war against Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

Then David is joined by former Representative Beto O’Rourke to discuss the hotly contested 2026 Senate primary in Texas between James Talarico and Representative Jasmine Crockett. Frum and O’Rourke discuss what this race means for the future of the Democratic Party, why Texas Democrats always seem to fall short of victory, and the importance of the Texas Senate race for control of the chamber.

Finally, David is joined by Samuel Fleischacker, a philosophy professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s “The Wealth of Nations” and discuss how Smith would fit in politically today.

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00:00 Introduction
00:57 DHS Caused Airport Chaos
02:58 DHS Budget Held Hostage
06:06 Negligence in Wartime
08:09 Beto O’Rourke
12:45 Why Texas Stays Red
16:58 Turnout Versus Persuasion
19:59 Primary Got Ugly Fast
25:38 Money and Ideology Pull
32:48 Beto 2018 Breakthrough
34:06 Authenticity Wins Eyeballs
39:26 Path to 2032 Goes Through Texas
42:35 Adam Smith at 250 Years
48:45 Invisible Hand Today